Gratie

LUX GRATIE

God give me wisdom,
so I can seek grace.

Shakespeare

This project results from an attempt of understanding some of the thin lines reaching trough time, and was specially made for the Glass Cathedral at Hamar, – this unique place where the past and the present unite. A cathedral of glass and light which gently embrace the ruins of a space left to wither long ago. The Cathedral holds memories, imprints and traces; – words connected to time and history. It is a left behind relic; – a visible sign of an absent item. The ruins at Hamar are columns, portals and pieces of ruddy rock still defiantly reaching towards the sky. Something remains, – a memory-trace of sacred rituals, of countless footprints of unknown individuals, of faith and doubts, questions of substance and meaning, the search for forgiveness, understanding and Grace.
In working with this project, I have been looking at how memory-traces left by anonymous individuals contribute in forming a larger consensus; – the sacred space. This took me to Sicily, and the monastery of the Cappuccini, a rather harrowing experience. Chiesa dei Cappuccini houses 8000 naturally preserved mummies, spanning from the 15th Century to 1920. In endless rooms and corridors I was confronted with what has once been living matter. These remnants are also traces; – traces of somebody that once were… They are all and none, and although long gone down the cruel road of oblivion, they are as such representatives of the anonymous contribution needed to fill any space we refer to as sacred.
The concept of Grace is often used synonymously with forgiveness. To me Grace is dealing with understanding, insight, – and astonishment. In that respect, the title of Lux Gratiae relates to the ability or desire to understand, and less with absolution from own actions. Grace is benevolent comprehension of possibilities and limitations sought clarified within these manifestations of existential issues, – the spaces we for some reason or other refer to as sacred.